Monthly Archives: September 2010

Watch this space…

After an initial burst of activity things will now go quiet here for a bit. When I resume I will be re-focusing a bit on design – which is mostly supposed to be what Ruralise is about. What to look … Continue reading

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CRTB: How Many Homes?

As I said in a previous post, the ‘sustainablility’ logic behind the planners’ preference for large-scale development, centred on a limited number of highly serviced, highly accessible centres, is lost on most ‘normal’ people. It seems only common sense to … Continue reading

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Architectural Press Showing Interest…

Weekly construction-industry newspaper Building Design covers last week’s announcement of the new lower threshold of support for a Community Right to Build (CRTB) project. The RIBA mentioned the Planning Officers’ Society consultation response in its Members’ Newsletter last week. Prior to … Continue reading

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How to CRTB #2 – Creating Value

I said in a previous post it was ironic that the Coalition spending-cuts have hit a programme aimed at supporting community run pubs. It isn’t ironic, of course – in fact it’s ideologically consistent with the whole thrust of the … Continue reading

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It’s in the countryside…but is it rural?

Rowan Moore in the Guardian is the latest to cover Living Architecture, a new holiday-home business that has commissioned five internationally acclaimed architects to design modern country houses. Their intention (a highly laudable one) is to enthuse people about modern … Continue reading

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Is it a shub? Is it a pop? No, it’s…

…well, it’s a pub with a village shop in it, so it’s probably a ‘pop’…like this one in Somerset, or this one in Tacolneston, not far from where I live in Norfolk. OK; the second one’s actually a beer shop…but … Continue reading

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The Heart of a Village

The British Beer and Pub Association reports (here) that 900 pubs closed in the last year. The village pub, school and shop/Post office between them form, if you will, a Holy Trinity of ‘village life’*. Both the Telegraph and Daily … Continue reading

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How to CRTB #1 – Building a Consensus

Yesterday’s announcement from the Department for Communities and Local Government lowered the required majority of support for a Community Right to Build project from 90% to 75%. This is surely a move in the right direction for those keen to … Continue reading

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Design Quality Outside the Planning System?

Given that the current planning system hasn’t generally managed to produce new housing of inspirational and enduring quality, it is perhaps odd that my biggest concern about Community Right to Build is to do with design. It’s true that planners … Continue reading

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CRTB: The Early Response

‘Preposterous’ may have been a bit harsh as my first thought on the Community Right to Build, but I’m certainly not alone in feeling skeptical. The professional press certainly sees more obstacles than opportunities.

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